Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 says, “Any officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”

By Cletus Ukpong


The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Beta Edu, on Friday, admitted as genuine a 20 December 2023 memo which shows that she requested the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer public fund – N585.2 million – into a private account of an official in her ministry.

The transfer contravenes various sections of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, which are meant to prevent fraud and other forms of corruption.

According to the minister’s memo, the fund in question was transferred from the National Social Investment office account and is meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states, under the federal government poverty intervention project called Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

Mrs Edu said in the memo that the official, Bridget Oniyelu, whose private account with the United Bank of Africa the N585.2 million was paid into, is the project accountant.

The minister said in the memo that N219.4 million is to be transferred to the vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom State, N73.8 million to Cross River State, N219.4 million to Lagos State, and N72.4 million to Ogun State.

The memo has gone viral on social media, while Mrs Edu has been trending for about two days now on the microblogging platform.

Minister Edu’s memo adds another layer of scandal to the ongoing EFCC investigation of the suspended National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, over alleged N37.1billion fraud in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

Mrs Shehu, in December, said over 1.5 million households in the country have received N20,000 from the Conditional Cash Transfer programme of the federal government.

The fraud allegations now taint the government intervention programme.

Mrs Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, is being investigated by the EFCC for alleged fraud.


Edu reacts to leaked memo

Through her media aide, Rasheed Zubair, the minister claimed the memo was leaked as part of a plot to blackmail her.

“It is glaring that the same sponsored disgruntled elements who, in the past few days have been trying to smear the Honourable Minister, Dr Betta Edu and stain her integrity because she alerted the government on the ongoing N44.8 Billion Fraud in NSIPA. These elements have been trying to link her to a phantom fraud and are behind this latest misadventure,” a statement on Friday from the minister’s media aide stated.

“The evil motive of the mischief-makers behind the circulation of the memo is well-known and should be ignored.

“Of note is the fact that since assumption of duty about five months ago, the Minister has religiously visited different parts of the country like Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, FCT, Lagos Cross River etc, and this is done to ensure she delivers on her mandate, she remains focused unbiased and committed to duty,” the statement added.


Questions for the minister

The minister’s response to the leaked memo, however, failed to address some pertinent questions, begging for answers:

1. Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 do not empower Minister Edu to originate payment requests directly since she is not the ministry’s accounting officer. By making a permanent secretary the accounting officer of a ministry, the intent of the law is to insulate government business from politics and allow government affairs to run smoothly and professionally on some sets of rules and guidelines which political officeholders may not be familiar with.

2 Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, which emphasises separating public and personal money in government transactions, states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account (Minister Edu clearly violates this section).”

The section, in addition, says, “Any officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.” It is very clear that the intent of the law here is to prevent fraud in government business.

3. Why would the minister pay such a huge amount of money to a civil servant instead of electronically paying the beneficiaries directly? What is the mechanism in place for accountability?

4. By Nigeria’s Financial Regulation 2009, only the Minister of Finance is empowered to issue warrants for disbursement of appropriated funds. Why is the Humanitarian Affairs Minister playing that role here?

5. Why is Mrs Edu the one initiating a request for payment of public funds when she is not the accounting officer of her ministry or his appointed representative (as stipulated in the financial regulation)?

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/656659-n585-2-million-payment-the-questions-minister-beta-edu-must-answer.html


Previous thread:

We Did Not Make The Payments As Requested By Minister, Edu - Accountant-General

Betta Edu: Why I Approved Payment Of ₦‎585 Million Into A Private Account

Foul Stench Of Buhari: Tinubu Must Fire Betta Edu - Kperogi

Wike, Umahi, Tunji-ojo, you've got to watch your back. Opposition is never happy seeing you deliver creditably, they try every ways possible to throw the spanner in the wheels. Since Betta took over, she has opened up various programmes, added more beneficiaries into the welfare packages, more impressively is the introduction of retired security personnels, widows of gallant soldiers who died on the field, including previously neglected soldiers whose limps were lost in battle, giving them a new lease of life. My advice to the opposition is, let people work and stop the distractions. Sponsoring media propaganda against top notch performers is a poor tactics and a wrong use of money. Betta is a moving train.

We knew initially that the money will be squandered. I will never support the idea of money sharing by a government, instead, use the money to subsidize food items.

A

Lock her up

I can confidently tell you that nothing will happen to her!
It's simply EFCC's usual manner to show Tinubu that they are working!
A simple call from aso rock to EFCC headquarters,and the next thing you will hear is 'Okay sir.....no problem sir' and the rest is history!
At the end of the day,let's ask these simple questions......
Who appointed the the EFCC chairman?
Infact who is incharge of appointing the security heads?
When you are able to come up with the answers you will realize why the likes of EFCC can only bark but can never bite!

Corruption lives with Tinubu and his cronies

nothing to see here

Thieving thieving yellow yellow Edu

If Nigeria was sane like China, Japan and North Korea, that woman would have since been killed live on national TV by now.

God1000:
Lock her up

Which one is lock her up?

Oga if Nigeria was working like China, Japan and north Korea, that woman would have been killed instantly live on national TV with immediate effect.

In Nigeria u don't lock up big men and women like that criminal, they'll be released immediately. Who wan even lock am up sef to start with? We play too much in this country

But what is always wrong with our women sef. Must they always compete with the men??

Wike, Umahi, Tunji-ojo, you've got to watch your back. Opposition is never happy seeing you deliver creditably, they try every ways possible to throw the spanner in the wheels. Since Betta took over, she has opened up various programmes, added more beneficiaries into the welfare packages, more impressively is the introduction of retired security personnels, widows of gallant soldiers who died on the field, including previously neglected soldiers whose limps were lost in battle, giving them a new lease of life. My advice to the opposition is, let people work and stop the distractions. Sponsoring media propaganda against top notch performers is a poor tactics and a wrong use of money. Betta is a moving train.

Trash

Honestly, if President Tinubu doesn't sack Betta Edu for this singular action, he would have a real problem in the eyes of millions of Nigerians who expect him to plug the leakages in the Nigerian financial system.

Some of these people still think this is Buhari regime where everyone can just cut their cake anyhow without being investigated. The action of this woman really show that grave fraud was perpetrated by Sadiya. It's time to open the can of worms. All of them must answer for their gross misconduct.

Edu

hmmm



Anyway, Agriculture is life.

How do people loot money meant for poor vulnerable people, how do people loot money meant for aged pensioners, how do people loot money meant for soldiers fighting and dying in the Frontline.

This is a typical example of#Not to young to rule. If a young Nigerian is given a juicy position that is political, I doubt if he will deliver well. Everyone is just focusing on how to loot the treasury when it comes to his turn.

Not just the leaders alone, most of the followers are fantastically corrupt. With the corrupt mindset and potential tendencies of embezzling national fund, it will take us years to advance in every aspect as a nation

Comment reserved. This country matter get as e be.

OUR WOMEN IN POWER TRY TO BREAK EACH OTHERS RECORD WHEN IT COMES TO LOOTING

The wig on head has corrupted her brain

Ok

Beta Edu goofed.

Was she actually the one that exposed the scandal in that NSIP whatever?

Pancake Edu Betta, Nigeria Women Politicians Are Getting More Notorious, Dubious & Fraudulent By The Day, Corruption Strives When The Head Of Affairs Is Absolutely Corrupt

Indigbo:
Wike, Umahi, Tunji-ojo, you've got to watch your back. Opposition is never happy seeing you deliver creditably, they try every ways possible to throw the spanner in the wheels. Since Betta took over, she has opened up various programmes, added more beneficiaries into the welfare packages, more impressively is the introduction of retired security personnels, widows of gallant soldiers who died on the field, including previously neglected soldiers whose limps were lost in battle, giving them a new lease of life. My advice to the opposition is, let people work and stop the distractions. Sponsoring media propaganda against top notch performers is a poor tactics and a wrong use of money. Betta is a moving train.

Trash

This is the reason we say APC and their supporters are clueless.

Should we ignore the 2009 Financial Regulations of Nigeria because your sugar mummy, Betta, is a "moving train"?

If we should leave you guys, Nigeria will one day become a lawless state

Hot soup wey dey run belle

PressMyButton:
Wike, Umahi, Tunji-ojo, you've got to watch your back. Opposition is never happy seeing you deliver creditably, they try every ways possible to throw the spanner in the wheels. Since Betta took over, she has opened up various programmes, added more beneficiaries into the welfare packages, more impressively is the introduction of retired security personnels, widows of gallant soldiers who died on the field, including previously neglected soldiers whose limps were lost in battle, giving them a new lease of life. My advice to the opposition is, let people work and stop the distractions. Sponsoring media propaganda against top notch performers is a poor tactics and a wrong use of money. Betta is a moving train.

Is any train working in Nigeria?

PressMyButton:
Wike, Umahi, Tunji-ojo, you've got to watch your back. Opposition is never happy seeing you deliver creditably, they try every ways possible to throw the spanner in the wheels. Since Betta took over, she has opened up various programmes, added more beneficiaries into the welfare packages, more impressively is the introduction of retired security personnels, widows of gallant soldiers who died on the field, including previously neglected soldiers whose limps were lost in battle, giving them a new lease of life. My advice to the opposition is, let people work and stop the distractions. Sponsoring media propaganda against top notch performers is a poor tactics and a wrong use of money. Betta is a moving train.

Moving train by transporting public money into a private account...u try well well